My dog was training today polishing up some things just before season opener and on his way back from a retrieve he dropped the bumper and limped back to me. I looked at his feet and didn't see anything. So I sent him to pick up the bumper he dropped and he did. He also stopped limping. He also did one more water retrieve and I called it quits.

I go to load him in his kennel and I noticed a drop of blood on the tailgate. I got home and washed the mud off him and noticed his back right foot had a cut or crack on the pad. I'm not sure which.

The vet on call said to clean it with betadine, use neosporin, and wrap it. They said they would give him anti-biotics Monday.

Here's a picture of it. What do ya'll think of it? Will it be healed enough to hunt Thursday or how long should he be out? I hear this is a pretty common injury so somebody has to know what to do.

Joetpr wrote:My dog was training today polishing up some things just before season opener and on his way back from a retrieve he dropped the bumper and limped back to me. I looked at his feet and didn't see anything. So I sent him to pick up the bumper he dropped and he did. He also stopped limping. He also did one more water retrieve and I called it quits.

I go to load him in his kennel and I noticed a drop of blood on the tailgate. I got home and washed the mud off him and noticed his back right foot had a cut or crack on the pad. I'm not sure which.

The vet on call said to clean it with betadine, use neosporin, and wrap it. They said they would give him anti-biotics Monday.

Here's a picture of it. What do ya'll think of it? Will it be healed enough to hunt Thursday or how long should he be out? I hear this is a pretty common injury so somebody has to know what to do.

Here's a updated pic of this morning. Wound looks clean. I talked to vet again. They said if its stopped bleeding to let the air hit it and don't cover it up. Said theres a product called cut-heal to spray on it. I got some and sprayed it on there. Seems to coat the area.

Another vet said the stitches would rip out and is a waste of money and time.

We cleaned the wound everyday, and superglued the top portion of the cut (not the entire inside) as recommended by our vet then TRIED to keep him calm and not jumping around.

Ultimately the cut healed together from the bottom up to the top at which point we stopped the super glue and allowed the last portion to close together.

I didn't take him hunting while the pad was healing up.

"For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: 'I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed." - Isaiah57:15

My buddy laid open his thumb with a knife and went to the ER. They stopped the bleeding, cleaned it out and used superglue to close it instead of stitches. I'm sure they have a medical name and price but the doc said regular superglue works just the same.

Mine did the same thing, although not as bad. The tough part is keeping it clean. Every time he would go outside it seemed like he would get dirt and debris inside it. After a few weeks though it heeled up.

The important thing it to keep him off it as much as possible and keep it clean.

KyMike wrote:My buddy laid open his thumb with a knife and went to the ER. They stopped the bleeding, cleaned it out and used superglue to close it instead of stitches. I'm sure they have a medical name and price but the doc said regular superglue works just the same.

It's called Dermabond. It is pretty much the same as super glue. They just give it a medical sounding name so they can charge 10 times the price. With super glue just be careful not to get it down in the wound. Try putting some on a Q-tip and then quickly rubbing it over the top, as the wound is held closed, before it dries. It is easier with a second pair of hands if you have someone to help. Do that a few times to add coats for strength.

Approximately 24 hrs after the incident now. The cut seem to be healing somewhat and not nearly as jagged. I've been soaking it in betadine every 6 hours, applying cut-heal, and putting on a new baby sock. He's got the hang of walking on 3 legs.

Last year I was training in a cow pasture and ripped and tore the pads on my dogs feet.Had to scratch her from a trial that weekend. On pads I trim dead skin off the edges of the tear/cut so that it won't reopen and heals better.For the first couple of days Neosporin and keep clean.Then got Musher's Secret and painted on and let dry. I was able to run her again in about 10 days.

Talked to our K9 handler and he recommended EMT Gel. Got some and soaked the wound. It absolutely lit him on fire I think because he tried to nip at me and pulled away. Hasn't done that yet any other time. However, it created a rock hard seal like glue and is supposed to promote healing with collagen and protein. He is completely different. He can run now and acts like theres nothing wrong with him. This stuff is amazing. He won't hunt till its completely healed but I bet it takes less time now than without emt gel.

Are you supposed to use it in the entire wound or just the upper most portion? I know for super glue you place it so just the top edges glue together similar to stitches.

If you can place it in the whole wound and it still promotes healing then that stuff is pretty amazing. Wish I knew about that when my pup cut his pad.

Where can you find EMT Gel?

"For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: 'I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed." - Isaiah57:15

I got it at Tractor Supply Co because there is a store here but Cabelas has it too. Its $15.00 pretty much anywhere.

It's sorta weird because it dries like that and somehow seals the wound but still lets it breath and be moist. I apply it twice a day now and when I go to re-apply it the previous application is gone or soaked in or something.

It says to apply it directly to the wound and the surrounding tissue. I've only used it 4 times now on him and there is a definate difference in the wound. The cut edges have bonded to the red tissue and the red tissue is turning into what looks like a pad. It really is amazing stuff from what I've seen.

"For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: 'I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed." - Isaiah57:15

I wouldn't hunt him till he is all healed up, I know it stinks but the more he can rest it the sooner he will be 100%. Just my personal opinion, and as he is your dog I'm sure you will do what you feel is best. Good luck to him and to you hunting thursday!

boy that sounds familiar. splits take longer to heal. you could cut and paste the quote above and same thing happened to us. this time the vet cleaned it up and wrapped it, hit him with some antibiotics and gave me a bottle of vetromycin to spray on it. unwrapped it after a day and kept him as inactive as i could. spray two or three times a day and a couple weeks later we were good to go.